“Where are Dathan and his brothers?”
“No idea about Dathan, but the others are…incapacitated.”
Eos gasped. “You hurt them?”
“They’re breathing, if that’s what you’re worried about. Now, let’s get moving if you want to stay in the same condition.”
The woman’s icy tone left no doubt that she was willing to kill.
“We haven’t found treasure. We’re not even sure it’s Star’s End.”
Darc pulled something from her pocket. Who knew there was even room for pockets in the liquid fabric sprayed onto the woman’s lean, toned frame? She held up a Sync.
Eos’ stomach plummeted. It showed an image of the mummy and Star’s End logo she and Dathan had found.
In a nova-fast move, Darc had her blade pressed to Eos’ neck. “You lie to me again, I’ll leave you bleeding in the sand.” She dug the knife deep enough to cut. “No more prevarication, Dr. Rai.”
Eos flinched at the sting and felt the warm slide of blood down her neck. “We haven’t found the treasure. That’s the truth. Only what was in the storage cavern.”
Darc pushed her away. “I’m not interested in trinkets and kitchen goods.”
“What a surprise.” For a second, Eos thought she saw the woman’s lips twitch.
“I have some extra information about the New Louvre treasure. I think it will help you locate it for me.”
Eos shifted. Okay, the woman was an evil treasure hunter, but Eos really wanted to know what her information was. “Fine. Tell me.”
Darc grabbed something from another pocket and thrust it into Eos’ face.
She focused on the metal object—an interlocked band and a round face. Cracked and damaged. She read the scratched lettersO-L-E-X. “A Terran timepiece? The one you stole from Dathan.”
Darc snorted. “The one I recovered fair and square. Look at the back.”
Eos gingerly took the treasure. It was heavier than she’d imagined. She turned it over and studied the engraving on theback. “Our greatest treasures rest beneath sanctuary, protected at the end of stars.” Beneath it were two words that made her heart pound. “Galileo Hawkins.”
“It belonged to Captain Hawkins.”
Eos sucked in a breath. The captain entrusted with the treasures of the New Louvre. The man who’d brought his colonists to Star’s End.
She rolled the timepiece over in her hand. “Incredible. You think this engraving can lead us to the treasure?”
“Yes. Now, Dr. Rai, I need you to use your knowledge of Star’s End to decipher the clue and find the treasure.”
“Okay.” Eos tapped a finger to her lips. While she pretended to ponder the puzzle, her brain churned, looking for a way to escape. Or at least a way to let Dathan know where they were. She slipped a hand into her pocket and felt the weight of the Terran jewelry she’d shoved in there when Darc had stormed into the cavern.
“Think about the treasure, Doctor, not escape.”
She glanced up. “Are you a mind reader?” Darc looked human, but there were many races with telepathic abilities—both natural and genetically manipulated.
“Maybe.” Her multi-colored eyes bored into Eos. “Just focus on the treasure so I don’t have to hurt you.”
“Do you get everything you want by threatening to kill?”
Darc’s face went blank. “Usually. No one can be trusted.”
How…sad. “You don’t trust anyone?”
“No. People betray you in the end. Always.” The hunter stared at Eos. “Are you really so different? I’ve studied you, Dr. Rai. You have plenty of acquaintances but few close friends. No family. No one you truly trust.”
